First solar eclipse of 2021 today, nearly all of India to miss out

The first solar eclipse of the year will occur on Thursday, and, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will be visible to people across the northern hemisphere. NASA describes solar eclipse as an astronomical phenomenon which occurs when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on the latter, fully or partially blocking the Sun's light in some areas.

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However, this solar eclipse will be an "annular" solar eclipse, which means that the Moon is so far away from Earth, that it appears smaller in size than the Sun in the sky. Here, since the Moon is not blocking the entire view of the Sun, space enthusiasts will see a "dark disk on top of a large, bright disk." This is also known as the "ring of fire."

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According to NASA, the eclipse will be visible only in a few regions, while it will be partial in others. The space agency has said that Russia, Greenland and Canada will get to witness the "ring of fire," or, in other words, a full solar eclipse, while eastern United States and Alaska will witness only a partial eclipse. Large parts of North America, Europe, Asia, northern Africa and parts of the Caribbean, too, will see a partial eclipse.

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In India, it will be visible only to people in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. It is scheduled to begin here at 1:42pm and will end at 6:41pm. The peak time will come around 4:16pm, when both the Sun and Moon will conjunct exactly at 25 degrees in Taurus sign.

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NASA will live stream the eclipse on nasa. gov/live. It can also be viewed on YouTube, courtesy of Luc Bolard of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Sudbury Centre. NASA has also released a set of precautions which are to be taken while witnessing the solar eclipse. These are available on its official website.